Would you take a 1-way trip to Mars?
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/want-one-way-ticket-mars-dutch-company-looking-012824434.html


As for myself, I am ready to go.
Since I was a child I have never understood the concept of an attachment to a certain place or another.
Everyone gets attached to the place where they were born to some degree. But if that isn’t just a personal issue, then it means that place really is special, but that would mean every place on Earth is special, which means nowhere is special.
If it is just a personal issue each person has, then it has no meaning in the grand scheme of things.

I can’t explain it well, but getting attached to a place just because you grew up there simply doesn’t make sense. A place should be special because it really is special. This is why I chose to move around the world, live in multiple countries, and finally end up in Tokyo.

I was alone while living with my family in America. I was alone while surrounded by 700 schoolmates.
No matter who is with me, I am always alone, and I always will be.


My dream was always to move to Tokyo. At least that is what I told people in order not to be seen as crazy.
Tokyo was my dream as long as I was restricted to Earth, but secretly my bigger dream was to live on another planet. As long as I can bring cats.

Things are going well for me right now in Tokyo. I have a great job at a great company with a great salary. My acting job is picking up heavily—I have a major role and my biggest shoot yet starting this week. I just signed a contract to write a book for Addison-Wesley Professional.

But I would drop it all in a heartbeat for a chance to live in Mars.
Imagine being among the first settlers on a Mars colony. History books will note you as one of the founding fathers or mothers. To be one of the building blocks of a new civilization. I simply couldn’t imagine anything better.

How about you?
Would you go? Why or why not?


L. Spiro

hell to the yes i'd go, similar to you, i have no attachments keeping me here, I think the biggest point of going to another planet would be that it's a new frontier, personally i'd rather go star trek style and just fly through space on a space ship, but seeing as we are still several century's at the very least from achieving that, then i'd settle for another planet.

Once its terraformed. I'm probably not a good candidate, considering that.

I think you would find that with no friends, limited or no family, no internet, no blue sky, no grass, no computers (maybe 1 for survival), no games, no outdoor activities, and no hope of procreation you would pretty much hate life.

They have Internet. Red skies are more exotic than blue skies. There will be partners for procreation (though no chance of any of them being active to me—I am quite picky), games to play, things to do online, etc.
I have been perfectly fine without grass, friends, and family this far. Moving to an exotic location would just make it easier.


L. Spiro

I have been perfectly fine without grass, friends, and family this far.

Maybe you haven't realized the importance of grass, friends, and family because you were so near to them.
I think people don't realize the importance of things until they lack them.

After reading Philip K. Dick's stories that are set on Mars, I'd rather not be a colonist. Someone else can make the heroic sacrifice of giving up their life for mankind.

They have Internet

The WAN-link to the ISS is so poor that it's a big distortion to call even it "the Internet". The WAN link to Mars is far, far worse. Any site that you wanted to "browse", you'd have to issue a batch job to mirror it to a Mars-local server first, which could take days.

I have never understood the concept of an attachment to a certain place or another.[/quote]But the ultimate attachment that comes from a 1-way trip is ok?

Maybe you haven't realized the importance of grass, friends, and family because you were so near to them.

I’m not near any of those things.
I am on the opposite side of the world from my friends and family, and I live in Tokyo where grass is a commodity.

Someone else can make the heroic sacrifice of giving up their life for mankind.

Okay, I’m on it!
Imagine getting to be the first person to die on Mars!!


L. Spiro